TL;DR: Mail delivered but landing in spam is a reputation and authentication problem, not a sending problem. Work the checklist in order of likelihood: missing or broken sender authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) first, it is the highest-leverage single fix, then engagement signals, then content and list hygiene. Confirm each fix with falling spamreport rates per campaign and seed tests to major providers.
What it looks like:
Symptom: delivered events on the webhook, but recipients find the mail in spam.
Steps:
- Check domain auth status in Settings, Sender Authentication. If SPF/DKIM/DMARC are not all validating, receiving servers distrust the mail. Success: all three validate.
- Check engagement: high spamreport event counts and low opens relative to volume. Inbox providers demote senders whose mail is ignored or marked as spam. Success: you know the engagement baseline.
- Fix content and list problems: put your company name in the subject area or header identity, include the physical mailing address and phone in the footer, give every recipient a clear opt-out. Success: every mail carries identity, address, and opt-out.
- Stop mailing unengaged addresses. Continuing to mail people who never open trains the filters against you. Success: the unengaged segment is suppressed.
- Honor spamreport events immediately: suppress the reporter and do not mail them again from any list. Success: reporters never get mailed twice.
When to use: delivered mail consistently landing in spam.
When not to use: bounces or blocks (different causes), mail that never arrives at all, or a single recipient's spam folder (check their filters first).
Compatibility: SendGrid, any sending plan.
Variants:
- sendgrid emails going to spam
- sendgrid delivered but spam folder
- improve sendgrid deliverability
Root cause candidates, in order: missing or broken sender authentication, bad engagement (ignored or spam-marked mail), content and list problems (spammy subjects, no physical address, no working opt-out, old purchased lists).
Edge cases:
- Verification: watch spamreport rates per campaign after the fix, and seed-test to major providers. A falling spamreport rate plus rising opens is the signal.
- Domain authentication first, always. Content tweaks on an unauthenticated domain are rearranging deck chairs.
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